Personality. And a section for it in a character application. I've came across countless forums that want a personality filled out for the character you're applying for but seriously, is it really needed? Never mind that post minimum. What's the point of it? I mean, that just sorta takes the fun out of it. Why go ahead and plan out their personality when it might be COMPLETELY different once they get going in the storyline? =\

On the forum I'm on ( which I adore! ), there is no section for personallity. Heck, there's not even a section for likes, dislikes, or even really appearance, aside from their build and all. It's the smallest and easiest app that I've ever done and yet you can still learn so much about a character. Oh. And there's no sample roleplay section either. =) Those things can get bothersome..

So, what are you guys' view on certain sections in character applications? Are some of them even really worth filling out?

Personality is a major part of character building...if I didn't have that in my apps, I would have a character that I couldn't work with. Things change after you start writing, that's natural, but it's important for me to have that basis or I'll end up with a sloppy character, or the charrie won't get anywhere at all.

What I find really unnecessary are lists, specific subsections to a main section (For example, an appearance section with a spot to put eye color, etc., or a history section that breaks down the history by years), and length requirements, though that's technically not a section of the app. All of that is stuff--lists, length, subsections-- I can add afterwards, if I want to. My charries are at vastly different stages of development, so for a new character, all I need is a character sketch, and that's all I ask for in my site's profiles. Members can add on more as they go.

Oh! And I hate it when the admin hide key words in their rules that the members have to add to the app. It's obnoxious and doesn't make me read the rules any more thoroughly, I'm just hunting for words and not paying attention to the meaning.

I'm of the same opinion and I've stated that time and time again here. xD I see no point in it, or in applications, really (at least not for a game with original characters). :\ I understand admins like to use 'em to weed out Mary Sues and bad writers and yadda yadda, but I still see no point. xD I think people obsess way too much over Mary Sues; I don't accept or decline people on my games, and to be perfectly honest I've encountered very few Sues and even fewer bad writers.

I just like trusting my players, I suppose. :3 I give them a LOT of leeway, and they seem to respect that and don't abuse it. If they create a ridiculous character or are a horrid writer, my games' communities are self regulating, anyway, and very much sink or swim. xD As in, if you annoy people, you're not gonna get any RP, so you either step up or ship out. P:

Here's my joining form, for example:

That's it. I tried to appeal to both camps, because some people like filling out applications upon joining a game because it helps them whereas I, and other players in my games, hate it. I like figuring out my characters as I play them and, heck, the only reason I even have a joining form to begin with is for the purposes of updating the character list. :3 And all I need for that is name, gender, species, rank, and location. So that's all that's required--if it's applicable to the character.

I have an optional profile that people can fill out for their characters, located on another board, and it's very detailed and can be altered/tweaked as players see fit. I like filling out profiles--once I have played my character for a while.

But I don't see it as necessary at all. When you meet new people IRL, you never have a handy-dandy profile to reference about them. xD You learn about them as you interact with them. That's how I view RP.

And all of my characters that I have tried to map out in advance have failed epically. Once I post a character, it takes on a mind of its own in a way, and I usually like the direction they decide to take naturally way more than my initial idea.

But that's just my opinion. And I dislike applications for many reasons. :B

As an admin, I like the Personality section because it helps me weed the Sues and other 'problematic' characters out before they get into play and start making everyone's life difficult. A disconcerting number of people seem to really, really want to play characters who would be better suited to fanfic, where the author can dictate the reactions and behavior of everyone else to the character. The Rant forum (among others) has near-daily mentions of encounters with such players, and I'd just as soon tell them 'no' from the get-go than approve them, field a bunch of complaints, and then go through all the sturm-und-drang of un-approving them.

It also helps me see who's really thought about the character in more depth than 'looks like Wentworth Miller' or 'is a gay transvestite' or whathaveyou. I don't need 10 likes, dislikes, fears, loves, etc. But someone who can't come up with four or five sentences describing how the character views and interacts with him/herself, others, and the world, IMNSHO doesn't have enough of a handle on the character to play it.

Now, if you want to talk unnecessary, those rainbow-colored free-verse things come to mind ...

I'm with AshBeanNun on this one. If I'm not made to think out my character by a mandatory section, I can get kinda sloppy with it unless I've played it before. In terms of being superfluous, I'd think Appearance would go before Personality. Sure I've had characters develop new traits over the course of an RP but it's usually good to have a base to work from and look back on in case you lose the character. I've had to refer back to applications for characters before and am frequently glad that I sucked it up and wrote that detailed description. As for Likes and Dislikes, I really don't care. It helps me get into the mindframe of the character so I like it, but I can do fine without. I've also tried running a game without a sample section. Never again. But that's just my personal opinion.

Overall, I have trouble keeping my applications short. Even if the form is meant to be brief, I'll write until I finish. I usually end up with two or three pages at least if I'm feeling inspired but even when I'm not, I don't think I've ever gone below one and a half.

I don't mind filling out the personality section of an app - if need to, I'll change it later. If I don't really know what my character is like yet, or they happen to change as I actually start to use them, I'll just go back and change it. Even if you give a vague but general idea of the character, I think that should be fine. For my forum, when people apply I don't generally tell them to add more to whatever they have down - if they want to give me two sentences about how their character is like this in a nutshell, or how their history is pretty vague, that's fine. I've always been pretty loose with applications, though. And I don't require a writing sample, because honestly... I hate writing them myself. Typically, if I do have to do a sample and I don't have to do it from the eyes of that specific character, I'll take old Rp posts I really liked that don't uber suck and submit those. But I've only ever done that once, and I was using the same character that the posts were originally for so it wasn't a big deal. Still, it can be annoying. I've only written one sample out of my own free will, and that was cause I wanted to demonstrate something with my character that I didn't want to do via Rp.

The more detailed an app is, the more I cringe. I'm also not uber big on limits to each section (what if you just can't get that much out?). I'll still apply if I really like the site, but I find I end up with a lot of headaches.

I don't mind a personality section in general, but I hate applications with ridiculously long applications.

On the sites I make, I do the applications with the basic information (name, age, etc.), one paragraph of appearance, one for personality, one for history, and a roleplaying sample. I think that the roleplaying is more important than the application, and that the app should just give you a feel for the character while still leaving room to expand.

Okay. Mary-sues. Well, what about for original forums, such as the one I'm on that's not based on a book, movie, or anything?

I find personality pretty core, to be honest. Why should I, mrs Admin, (who has worked her arse off to create a site just-so) trust you, ms player, to create a character whose personality isn't completely ill fitting to the related history? And why should I cut down my opportunities and ultimately make my job harder by not having that personality section? I am an admin who uses an application to gauge the player's ideas as well as how they are as a player, and if that player can't fill out a basic application form then I don't want to be the person playing with them.

I have no reason to trust you, so I shall give you a basic application to fill in so I can be sure you're not going to completely cock it up. Because you might, actually.

And what about canon based games? Kind of important on those. I wouldn't want to give Charles Xavier to someone who decided he was super-camp-yet-moody. Nor an Emma Frost who wasn't bad just really misunderstood.

Edit: eh, not removing anything, but FYI, this was posted prior to seeing the above post.

What do you mean? There's plenty of room for Mary Sues in original RPGs. :lol:

Seems like to me everyone's all paranoid about them around here.. =\

And as for that comment, everything is a copy of a copy. Originality has been thrown out the window a loooong time ago so I don't get why people get all 'Red Scare' about that stuff, unless you just happen to notice how much alike that character is to another. I mean c'mon..

xD I think people are more paranoid about Mary Sues than they need to be. Because like I said, I honestly haven't seen many in my games--which take everyone and have no applications. Sure, once in a while I see a character that makes me headdesk (either because they are a super Sue or because they blatantly didn't read anything) and in the case of the Sue, I let 'em be (self-regulating community and all--if they're really that bad, they'll be weeded out via natural selection). In the case of the person who blatantly didn't read anything, I send 'em a PM and straighten them out.

*shrug*

However, I can see the need for apps in a canon game. You don't want someone applying for, say...Sephiroth and turning him into a weepy uke that likes unicorns and wants to be a ballerina.

...Unless it's a crack AU game. :B

In my opinion Personality is one of the most (if not the most) important section in any RP application (canon or not), because it tells people who your character is as a person and how they behave. In fact I would go as far as to say that it tells people more about your character than any of the others sections combined.

Also from an admin's standpoint it's a good way for me to judge whether or not the applicant's character actually makes sense, when taking all of the other sections into account. Plus it helps to keep people honest. Nothing annoys me more as admin than a character whose personality and background go together like oil and boiling water without a good reason for it somewhere in the app. Yes personalities do change with time and experiences, and I certainly encourage my players to go back and edit their character when necessary, but characters have to start from somewhere in my opinion.

The sections in applications that really annoy me are ones like 'Height', 'Weight', 'Build' etc. To be honest I don't really dislike these sections when they are on their own, but application forms that have sections like them and an 'Appearance' section as well really get on my nerves. It like saying "Alright list out these things about the way your character looks... Now put it all into a paragraph..." It's so repetitive and unnecessary. I don't mind describing my characters' appearances in a paragraph or two (in fact I prefer to), but is doing both really necessary?

People don't make sense.

And why do you want to "keep people honest"? What do even mean by that? Are you going to check their personality section every time they post to make sure they aren't acting out of character or something?

Seriously, that's almost as bad as the Harry Potter boards with rules against Slytherins who act decently or Hufflepuffs who aren't squishy.

I find that the personality section is more important for other members than it really is the creator of the character, or even the admin. Granted, there are many other ways for another member to figure out a certain character's personality other than by reading an application [that barley ever really gets read to being with], but by requiring it in an application seems to make it more accessible, apparently. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it seems to be pretty standard on the majority of applications.

Aside from just roleplaying with the character, I've seen introductions for the member and the character on a couple boards that's not exactly required yet requested. As for the Mary Sue thing...well, I always liked to give people a chance, unless their application was just unbearable [which I don't think has ever happened.]. I think most people can eventually grow out of the Sue-dom, and if they don't I seriously doubt that the member would stay active on an advanced board; in the end, there's not much to worry about.

So, now that the question has been presented, I don't know if an 'personality' section is exactly required. I can see both sides of the argument, honestly.

I think it's important in the application process mainly because I have a HP board and the personality helps us to sort people into the right houses.

I know that people on my board are constantly looking at people's personalities. They want to see what kind of relationship could be built with certain characters and figure out how they might interact. Same goes for the appearance. If you don't have an appearance, it makes it hard for people to respond to you physically.

My main RPing site, my only one I'm currently on, has the best application I've seen by far in a long time. It isn't time consuming, it isn't redundant. It's simple, and no sample post! I hate sample posts. They give me muse blockage. Thats one of the many things in consideration when I chose the site.

I'm on the fence about personality parts. I like them, but they can get ridiculous. You can't get every detail of them before hand- you need to learn as they grow. Some RPGs just want TOO much information at the beginning. Its not necessary.

I am a reader. I love reading character applications, because its nice to get a jist of a character, learn about their history/powers, whatever you need to know. I think its a nice reference. Annoyingly detailed applications aren't good references. They are obnoxious to read, and has tedious, stupid information.

Keep it simple. =D

Okay. Honestly. I really don't get the point of it. For SOME canon forums- yeah I can see but.. where's the fun in exploring other character's personality? And why have other members look at it to PLAN a relationship? Stop that! >/

NO NO NO.

No planning!

Why not let it all play out for itself? Sometimes you're bound to get a few surprised. For example, I've got a guy that I had not expected to find any romantic interest at all and lo and behold, it came finding him by its own accord. It wasn't planned. It just happened. That, my friends, is the true beauty of rp. Not some 5 paragraph long description about what they would do when they get mad, sad, or glad. =)

I find the personality section a must have.

When I'm creating a character, for a forum or for something else, the first thing I do is write a bio. Not for anyone but myself. Bios help me get my head together and get into the character- to get a feel for them.

Of course characters change. So do people. But If I don't have a bio to refer to, my characters a weak and unrealistic.

As for the "no no no stop planning" comments.. Well. Some things are good to plan, or you would really just have no direction to go from. Also, you need to discuss things like the past, because in most sites i've ever been on, it's unrealistic if no one has ever met before. I like to use a mixture of both, plan some plottage and let others flow. Works well for me.

Another thing about bios though, on my site we are set in a small town and a lot of characters are family, or have known one another for a life-time. It's sort of vital for other players to have a bio to refer to, because their character is supposed to know said character very well.

Ok perhaps ‘honest’ was a bad choice of words but I in no way meant that an admin should go through every character’s personality every time their player makes a post. That’s just nuts…

What I meant is having a Personality section in applications, from my own personal experiences seems to help players keep their characters consistent. I have RPed on sites that have them and sites that don’t and it’s just a trend I noticed, and nothing to do with admin regulation. The reason I said that players being true to their characters should be important to an admin however is that I feel that an RP should move with a very natural flow, and as an admin they have a right to put things in their RP that they feel will help.

Also could you please clarify what you meant by people don’t sense? To say that people are complex is one thing, but to say that they don’t make sense is entirely something else. People’s behavior is influenced by their past, their experiences, and their driving forces. As such their personality should match by their background, and that’s not to say that there is a set way to react to certain major events in their life. Everyone is different and react differently to different things, but it should be explained that certain events make a character a certain way and why in my opinion.

I think having a personality does help. I agree that personality has a tendency to change once you've started RPing the carrie but that's okay because usually the base personality is there. I mean I play a tomboy who generally doesn't get on well with others and seeks out revenge if she gets stuffed around. That's still true but she also has a very caring side for the few people she lets in, has developed a weird twisted sense of loyalty and generally keeps growing every day.

On the sites I've been on I just accepted it was needed because they're sort of HP based and required personality to sort into houses. It's not forcing me to decided EXACTLY how my carrie will act in every situation because everyone can step out of character once in a while in their reactions and it's all dependant on things like how well she knows the other poeple involved, how emotional she is, whether or not she really cares what happens etc etc.

Personally I like it.

It also helps weed out potential Mary-Sues.

Clearly the OP has no sympathy for those of us who enjoy roleplaying but cannot fly by the seats of our pants all the time.

Sure sometimes not planning can lead to all sorts of awesome fun. Other times it's poorly constructed, rambly, pointless threads that go nowhere because everyone is relying on everyone else to produce something vaguely interesting.

I prefer to have an idea of what I'm doing before I go into a thread. I'm purpose driven, whatever that purpose may be. I cannot just write and expect awesomeness. I work hard every post to produce something that contributes because yes, I struggle.

There was a time when I could just write. Most of the time I didn't MIND if the posts came out garbled and full of dead-ends. These days I need structure. I need an application form, I need a thread with an idea of what the goal is. That doesn't make it any less fun for me because hey, I've been doing it for almost 9 years and I don't play for my health.

An opportunity to fill out a profile is a must. However, I find that I am more likely to help myself if I am forced to fill out that application because given the choice, I won't do it. I know full well that it will help me to understand the character but I'm a lazy trollop.

I also fret that if I don't get down a personality, then I will create characters that are all the same. I already have an issue with only creating independent women, let's not make that worse by making them ALL the same because it's the only thing I can think of at the time.